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Post by kitsune on Oct 22, 2011 19:05:41 GMT -5
Sango shrugged at Gavron's response, saying back, "Any effective way to get information is credible, persay." She looked at the man she was talking to now, blinking slightly, and listening intently, nodding. She wondered what he had to say and hoped her statement would have the right effect.
Indeed, the man let her into just the right amount of information to continue. A small smile played on her lips; Gavron's plan was indeed working. She nodded in agreement at the question, but was deep in her own thoughts. Those demons seemed to be weak on their own, but she needed to know how many of them there were.
While Gavron went on to get slightly more familiar with the man, she told herself that these would be easy to kill off, if perhaps they were not all evil. She would never live with herslef if she harmed more of Shippo's family, or even Koga's. Both had a terrible time.
Glancing back up, she had her question in mind. With a casual shrug, she played it well, remaining as relaxed as possible. "Ah, well, we were just wondering exactly how many of demons we were talking. Dozens? Hundreds? Talking roughly, of course..." she implied.
------- Shadowsoul froze, tail and ear fur bristling. She refrained form taking a step back. Silkwhisker... She had heard of that somewhere once, perhaps from the villagers from her own family. With a lash of her tail, she narrowed her eyes, trying to decide the best course of action.
"I am indeed a kitsune... but like I said, I am new..." HEr hands went to her hood and she carefully revealed her face, ears flicking. She took a few steps back in case he decided to attack her. The fox demon's eyes glowed a worried amber as she bit her lip, ready to run if needed.
"I, er, come from farther away you see... a village somewhere near the forrest of Sorrow... Anyways, I sensed Wolf demons here, and was worried; perhaps you know more about the troubles here?" she asked. Better t be honest and take the direct approach. Lying only led to trouble later, if it was to the wrong people.
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Post by morrisb on Oct 23, 2011 7:09:20 GMT -5
The man sighted gravely. - "Could be over a thousand I tells ya, them wolves and kotengus number high. The kitsunes and onis, not so much, but we'd be better off without 'em, too."
"If I may cut in." - Gavron spoke - "Wolf-demons and kitsunes won't be much of a bother as far as I'm concerned. But I heard nothing of kotengus and onis. Care to fill me in what they are ?"
"Erm, well..." - the man tried to present things in an understandable way - "Kotengus are the smaller breed of tengu, kite-like demons with wicked talons and great red noses, about the size of half a man, with wings, an' claws on both hands and legs. They are most numerous, but also easiest to kill. But onis, they are a mountain o' flesh ! Red-skinned giants who care not for frost or fire, just eat what they want. They come to town not, nay, thank Buddha. They eat the other demons mostly."
"If the situation is so grave, how come the town is still standing ?" - Gavron raised an eyebrow.
"Town's been payin' tributes o' food to them wolves and kotengus every now and then, in return they did not bother us. But the civil war caught up with us matey. Trading is boycotted, Food is becomin' more scarce, the town can't spare enough for donations. Meanwhile, during the relative peace them demons were busy makin' offsprings. You do the math."
Gavron nodded. - "So, to sum it up, the demons ravage the town for foodstuff all the while busying themselves with killing each other to decrease competition over the precious edible materials, and townsfolk just happen to be caught in the middle."
The man nodded back. - "Eeyup."
Gavron turned to Janos, translating the conversation so far. Sango could notice that two words, imp and ogre were recurring.
...
The monk stood silent for a moment, then buried his face into his left palm with a sigh.
"Monks should not swear, but I feel a sudden temptation for it." - he stated. - "But I suppose I was being careless. You, on the other hand, seem just as clueless."
The monk sat down on a piece of rubble, unfolding the bag into which he packed his things.
"Let's play with open hands. There's a war raging in these valleys; local demon clans terrorize the towns and villages for food, and occasionally valuables. And then there's a small pack of kitsunes living in caves near the top of that mountain over there" - he pointed at a snow-covered peak in the distance. - "They regularly come to town and steal food, frightening the townsfolk and sometimes killing a man or two, usually out of self-defense. Not long ago they came to an agreement with my brethren: we supply them with food, and they not annoy the townspeople. A fair enough trade for both parties, as my order of monks aims to preserve peace above all."
He put the bag down to the ground, revealing some baked goods.
"Their leader is a white kitsune named Silkwhisker, but she prefers black males, so don't blame me for mistaking you for one of her children. But anyway, I advise against staying here. Hell may break loose anytime now that the promised armed forces came to reinforce the town."
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Post by kitsune on Oct 23, 2011 11:05:26 GMT -5
Sango listened, mentally taking notes. These onis sounded like a problem, but the fous seemed to be on the invaders in the village. Even if the small Kotegus were easy to defeat, a large number would be dangerous. And since the demons were multiplying, it would be a problem.
She listened to Gavron talk, wondering what his reacurring words meant. She looked back at the others, trying to figure out the army to demon ratio. She looked up in thought, trying to figure out what to do next.
"Alright, as for the kitsunes and wolf demons, they seem like the most likley to be the problem. The smaller demons are easy to defeat, and the larger ones don't come here. So the main problem is the wolves and foxes it seems. We chould stirke them where they mainly live, perhaps kill a few leaders. Or, we could find out why they keep attacking, but the answer seems obvious." She sighed then.
If she would need to harm Koga's family or Shippo's, then it would need to be done. These people should not live terribly and in fear on account of her friend's realatives. She woulddo what needed to be done, without mercy for the evil. If some happened to be peaceful, then she would spare them.
-------
Shadowsoul flicked her tail, wary. "I do not want to leave on account of fear and such... if I can, I will try to help. Do the kitsunes here dislike newcomers?" she asked, deep eyes glinting in question.
She wondered what she cuould do to help. She loved helping her own village, and wanted to like up to her parent's hopes for her. She wanted to become a better kitsune. Looking at the monk, she twitched her ear. "Have you heard or seen a female in the past named Mistpelt? Or a male named Darkfang?" Maybe these foxes would know who her parents were.
Doubt swelled in her heart; what if they were in on their murder as well? She flattened her ears, looking down in thought. She thought she knew all about her past as of now, but what if there were others involved?
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Post by morrisb on Oct 23, 2011 12:22:19 GMT -5
"I believe we heard enough for now." - Gavron tossed a coin to the man, who placed it in his pocket before leaving the table.
Gavron now turned to Sango: - "I'm sure we'll get a briefing at the local barracks as to where do these clans live. And I'm afraid you are quite right Sango; since we can't make the source of the problem cease, we must make the problem itself disappear." - he then took a casual sip. - "A tragic necessity." - he whispered to himself.
Meanwhile, Gavron's men enjoyed themselves, but as instructed, they were careful about the amount they drank. Nevertheless, the mood was high; some danced their odd, unknown folk dances.
Now that the information-gathering was over, Sir Janos helped himself to some wine, and leaned slightly towards Sango: - "Lady... we dance ?"
Gavron seemed alarmed at this proposition. - "I don't think she is prepared for a 'bar-wrecker' dance." - he stated in hungarian.
"Ah, lighten up, I'll be gentle." he replied back, while holding his armored palm towards the girl...
...
"I really doubt you could help. You can't do anything about the wolf demons or kotengus in the region, even though they are our worst concerns." - the monk explained. - "As for Mistpelt... Darkfang... no, rings no bells. But why are you asking me ? You should seek out your kin and ask them. Sure, they definetly don't like intruders, but I'm fairly sure they won't mind a fellow vixen paying a short visit."
Sounds reasonable enough. A leader of a kitsune pack is usually the eldest and wisest specimen. If Shadowsoul is fortunate, that white female may have been around long enough to know something about her lineage. A slim chance, but it's there.
Nevertheless, there were still many things she did not know about the local conditions. Like when was she finally going to eat anything, but in the face of the possibilities before her, that seemed trivial enough.
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